Three Men in a Boat / Three Men on the Bummel
Three Men in a Boat / Three Men on the Bummel
Three Men in a Boat / Three Men on the Bummel
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— 159 —<br />
“No — no; d<strong>on</strong>’t exaggerate, Tom,” murmurs Jack, reprov<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>gly;<br />
“thirty-three at <strong>the</strong> outside.”<br />
And Jack and Tom, quite exhausted by this c<strong>on</strong>versati<strong>on</strong>al<br />
effort, drop off to sleep <strong>on</strong>ce more. And <strong>the</strong> two simple-m<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>ded<br />
youngsters at <strong>the</strong> sculls feel quite proud of be<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g allowed to<br />
row such w<strong>on</strong>derful oarsmen as Jack and Tom, and stra<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g> away<br />
harder than ever.<br />
When I was a young man, I used to listen to <strong>the</strong>se tales from<br />
my elders, and take <strong>the</strong>m <str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>, and swallow <strong>the</strong>m, and digest every<br />
word of <strong>the</strong>m, and <strong>the</strong>n come up for more; but <strong>the</strong> new generati<strong>on</strong><br />
do not seem to have <strong>the</strong> simple faith of <strong>the</strong> old times.<br />
We — George, Harris, and myself — took a “raw’un” up with us<br />
<strong>on</strong>ce last seas<strong>on</strong>, and we plied him with <strong>the</strong> customary stretchers<br />
about <strong>the</strong> w<strong>on</strong>derful th<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>gs we had d<strong>on</strong>e all <strong>the</strong> way up.<br />
We gave him all <strong>the</strong> regular <strong>on</strong>es — <strong>the</strong> time-h<strong>on</strong>oured lies<br />
that have d<strong>on</strong>e duty up <strong>the</strong> river with every boat<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g-man for<br />
years past — and added seven entirely orig<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>al <strong>on</strong>es that we<br />
had <str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>vented for ourselves, <str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>clud<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g a really quite likely story,<br />
founded, to a certa<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g> extent, <strong>on</strong> an all but true episode, which<br />
had actually happened <str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g> a modified degree some years ago to<br />
friends of ours — a story that a mere child could have believed<br />
without <str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>jur<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g itself, much.<br />
And that young man mocked at <strong>the</strong>m all, and wanted us to<br />
repeat <strong>the</strong> feats <strong>the</strong>n and <strong>the</strong>re, and to bet us ten to <strong>on</strong>e that<br />
we didn’t.<br />
We got to chatt<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g about our row<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g experiences this morn<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g,<br />
and to recount<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g stories of our first efforts <str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g> <strong>the</strong> art of<br />
oarsmanship. My own earliest boat<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g recollecti<strong>on</strong> is of five<br />
of us c<strong>on</strong>tribut<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g threepence each and tak<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g out a curiously<br />
c<strong>on</strong>structed craft <strong>on</strong> <strong>the</strong> Regent’s Park lake, dry<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g ourselves<br />
subsequently, <str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g> <strong>the</strong> park-keeper’s lodge.<br />
After that, hav<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g acquired a taste for <strong>the</strong> water, I did a good<br />
deal of raft<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g <str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g> various suburban brickfields — an exercise<br />
provid<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g more <str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>terest and excitement than might be imag<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>ed,<br />
especially when you are <str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g> <strong>the</strong> middle of <strong>the</strong> p<strong>on</strong>d and